[Full Text] Geo & Choi Yesul Apologize for Undisclosed Advertising Controversy: "No Evasion of Responsibility or Tax Evasion"

Geo (right) and Choi Yesul couple. Photo by Choi Yesul, Instagram capture.

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] Geo and Choi Yesul, a married couple, issued an official apology amid controversy over their delayed disclosure of paid advertisements in content that did not initially indicate it was sponsored, as well as a period of unexplained absence from YouTube, which raised concerns about evading responsibility.

The couple posted a statement on January 4th on the community tab of their YouTube channel 'Oye Couple Story' addressing the ongoing allegations of undisclosed advertisements.

They began by saying, "For over two years, we have devoted ourselves to running our YouTube channel and have experienced various ups and downs while shaping the channel’s identity. Naturally, proposals from companies wishing to collaborate on advertisements increased."

They added that they trusted the guidelines provided by their agency, stating, "All sponsored videos on the Oye Couple Story and Yesria channels have been marked as advertising content in the video description section. Later, through the revised regulations, we learned that advertisements must be more clearly indicated within the videos themselves."

They continued, "Judging that the same measures were necessary for existing videos, we placed the description text at the top and set the videos to display 'Includes Paid Advertisement.' We believe these actions may have appeared as if we were belatedly revealing the advertisements. We feel a clear sense of responsibility and sincerely apologize."

They denied allegations related to tax evasion. The couple stated, "All advertising payments are processed through our agency and handled transparently and legally. We never deceive the interest and love you send us. However, we have come to fully understand that all our actions and words can be perceived differently from our intentions and may cause disappointment and discomfort." They promised there would be no repeated mistakes, errors, or ignorance.

They also added, "We delete and block comments containing harsh criticism, personal attacks, ridicule, or false information. We kindly ask that you refrain from spreading false information or making exaggerated interpretations and reproductions for the sake of criticism."

Meanwhile, Geo, a former member of MBLAQ, and actress Choi Yesul publicly announced their relationship in January 2018 and married in September the following year.

Below is the full official statement from Geo and Choi Yesul regarding 'Oye Couple Story.'

Hello Oyesseu and Yesrian fans.

We would like to address a few things regarding the post we uploaded on the community tab of the Oye Couple Story channel a few days ago and the advertisements we have conducted so far. This statement is jointly written by the two of us, and we promise to write it truthfully. The text may be lengthy. We appreciate your reading.

Thanks to your interest and love, we have had happy times. For over two years, we have devoted ourselves to running our YouTube channel and have experienced various ups and downs while shaping the channel’s identity. We have enjoyed the joy of communication through views and comment responses on each piece of content.

Naturally, proposals from companies wishing to collaborate on advertisements increased. Since both of us had left our original jobs, considering profitability was a necessary part of our review.

However, it was difficult to handle all the processes involved in advertising ourselves. At that time, after receiving several offers from various agencies and much deliberation, we signed a contract with our current company.

What we expected from the contract with the agency was safe advertising with reputable companies and products, as well as manuals and guidelines for various issues related to running a YouTube channel.

Before the revision of the Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising, we were informed by the agency and advertisers that we could choose one method among 'noting it in the description section, using hashtags or pinned comments, or checking the paid advertisement box in the upload settings tab' to indicate advertisements.

Also, seeing comments with nuances like 'It was homework, good job on the homework, why can’t you say it’s an ad?' we thought that the advertising notice in the description and the advertising message within the content were recognized.

This is not an attempt to evade responsibility. However, knowing that violating the disclosure obligation would also result in penalties for the business owners or related companies who requested the advertisement, we did not doubt the guidelines provided by the agency.

Furthermore, before filming an advertisement video, we receive a planning guide such as 'Please film with this content, please use these expressions, avoid these remarks,' and after revisions, we proceed with filming. The filmed videos also go through confirmation and revision before uploading, so we did not recognize that there could be problems with these official procedures for advertising.

Therefore, all advertisement videos conducted on the Oye Couple Story and Yesria channels have been marked as advertising content in the video description section.

However, around July this year, we came across news that the Fair Trade Commission planned to revise the Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising. (We do not know the exact announcement date, but we saw the article in July.) We believed we had been conducting advertisements according to the existing law, but through the revised regulations, we learned that advertisements must be more clearly indicated within the videos themselves in the future. At that time, we understood that the changes would be implemented in the second half of the year, but we judged that the same measures were necessary for existing videos, so we placed the description text at the top and set the videos to display 'Includes Paid Advertisement.'

We believe these actions may have appeared as if we were belatedly revealing the advertisements. We feel a clear sense of responsibility and sincerely apologize.

The claim currently circulating that 'not a single video had any mention of advertisement and was only labeled later' is not true. As mentioned earlier, all were indicated in the description section, but we changed them to comply with the revised Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising.

Also, the speculation that tax evasion occurred because of suspected undisclosed advertisements is not true. All advertising payments are processed through our agency and handled transparently and legally.

We would also like to address the Yesria shopping mall. Due to the nature of beauty items, effects vary individually, and we have always disclosed this. Since we did not conduct review events, we have helped customers understand the expected effects by sharing actual customer reviews in posts or stories. We have assisted with every exchange and refund without exception due to product issues or change of mind. We will continue to strive to prevent any inconvenience.

Regarding the video hiatus and the community post on the Oye Couple Story channel, the video about the emergency room visit was released two weeks after filming. In fact, there is still some discomfort to this day. We were relieved to receive a diagnosis that 'the jaw joint was not dislocated' and recklessly hoped to gradually improve. Although uncomfortable, it was not a major problem for eating and drinking. However, having discomfort in one part of the body lowered our quality of life, and irregular lifestyle habits led us to neglect filming videos. The posts shared on Instagram were not a full record of all daily life but rather light daily shares and writings. Also, recently, due to being absorbed and addicted to gaming, the two of us have had frequent arguments. However, we did not explain these details and caused misunderstandings and suspicions based on appearances. We apologize for this.

We never deceive the interest and love you send us. However, we have come to fully understand that all our actions and words can be perceived differently from our intentions and may cause disappointment and discomfort. We reflect on this and sincerely apologize.

We promise there will be no repeated mistakes, errors, or ignorance. Thank you for reading this long statement.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.